Holiday mobile news recap: 2012 comes to an end with RIM and Instagram

‘Twas the week of Christmas and all across the world, mobile devices were being delivered to good boys and girls. Sure it would be difficult and elves would work to no end, and gifts would be brought by a non-denominational holiday giver so as not to offend. December 21st passed and our world kept on turning, so for mobile news our audience is yearning. And since even in during the holidays, the industry keeps going, I have to write this recap of news worth knowing. The biggest name in games promise to bring more cheer and will have new games on your portable device in the new year. 4G is expanding and Google Maps makes iOS better, but Istagram’s TOS is uglier than a Christmas sweater. Research in Motion may be in need of a creditor, and I have to stop rhyming before I annoy the editor. Before this limerick style gets shelved, here’s the news in mobile for the last weeks of 2012.

BlackBerry

The big wigs at Research in Motion are just really ready for 2012 to end. The company might not even have been that upset if the whole Mayan apocalypse thing turned out to be true. Instead they have to deal with the sales figures from the third quarter of 2012 that prove to be a mixed bag at best. Still optimistic that the company’s outlook looks good for 2013, the company continues to gear up for the launch of BlackBerry 10. The first handset, the Z10, has been announced along with a UK launch that will include 4G access. Research in Motion even finally solved its patent dispute with Nokia with a simple solution: Throwing money at it and forgetting about it. A fresh start will be welcomed RIM headquarters.

Big Game News

The mobile app industry proved to be profitable in 2012, with revenue up across both the Apple App Store and the Android’s Google Play Store. Much of that can be attributed to the success of the mobile gaming industry, a place of regular profit for game makers. Two of the finest studios in the business, ZeptoLab and Rovio, are planning on taking on 2013 with all new IPs. ZeptoLab released it’s offering, Pudding Monsters, this week and will likely expand it over the course of next year. Rovio plans on exploring some new ideas to expand upon the success of Angry Birds. We’re sure both companies will also be releasing tons of plush toys and other merch that we’ll make fun of but secretly crave and decorate our rooms with.

Google Maps

Apple and Google might technically have a rivalry, but Apple can’t be too mad at the search giant. After the failure of Apple Maps kept people from updating to iOS 6, the release of Google Maps for iOS converted a considerable amount of holdouts. Of course, Google can thank Apple dumping it’s navigation tool and giving the company the motivation to come back better than ever. It’s like getting dumped and making sure you look better for the next time you run into your former lover. A total of 10 million people downloaded Google Maps, doing their best to guarantee they won’t end up lost during their holiday travels.

4G

America usually looks to Europe as an example of a more progressive society, but that’s not quite the case when it comes to wireless networks. The United Kingdom just got it’s first 4G network just a few months ago. Now an auction of a 4G LTE spectrum will take place between seven companies vying for position at the top of the UK class. Meanwhile in America, Verizon continues to make its 4G LTE presence felt everywhere it can. It’s latest expansion brings it to 29 new markets, including Green Bay, Wisconsin. If the playoffs go poorly for the Packers, expect the drunkenly typed out tweets of rage to come faster than ever.

Instagram Fallout

Instagram just can’t make friends with anyone. After cutting ties with Twitter, the photo-filter app started cutting ties with…its users. Probably not the best idea. It likely wasn’t intentional, but some people that actually take the time to read terms of service agreements noticed some wording that was less than agreeable. Upon the news spreading, users were sent into a fit of rage, swearing to never use the free service again–until everyone wants to take pictures of their holiday parties and add a nice sepia tone. Since Facebook bought up Instagram, the social network has been looking for ways to make the service profitable. Instagram has since backpedaled on the policy and promised not to sell people’s pictures, meaning they’ll have to find a different way to make money off what is essentially the world’s largest database of food pictures.